I’m actually doing them: my New Years Resolutions after 3 weeks

I’ve referred before to my loathing and Ryan’s loving of New Years Resolutions before.  It’s caused problems in the past, but now we let each other be the goal-setters or non-goal-setters without interference. 

This year, however, I needed some help.  I’ve referred to my December somewhat obliquely over the last few posts, but, frankly, I’m suffering some mild depression.  I might blog further about it, but for now, I’m admitting it just as a background for the post.  I knew I had to make some behavior changes if I was going to feel better. 

I wrote a list of things I wanted to improve on the week after Christmas.  I think I had 38 things (no joke) on it.  I knew that it was a)impossible b)discouraging to work on all of those things.  I  needed to figure out what few things would be the most effective in my life to work on.  I knew I needed to talk to Heavenly Father about it, because He knows everything.

This is one of those times where I felt truly guided by the Spirit as I fasted and prayed over what should be my focuses in 2011.  I’m grateful, as always, that I can access my loving Heavenly Father when I’m struggling and seeking help.

This is what I came up with:

1.  I will not eat food that has sugar or corn syrup as one of the first three ingredients.  I will eat 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

2.  I will find a quiet, extended period of time to pray and read my scriptures, listening to the Spirit and writing down my thoughts.  That time, for me, is pre-workout.  As in 4:45 in the a.m.  (Yikes.)

3.  I will not get on the computer/blogs/email until I’ve done the essential things in my day, which include prayer, scripture study and 10 minutes of positive alone time with each child.  (I actually break this up into 3 kids in the morning—then computer, etc, during the day—then the last two kids after school, before I do anymore computering.)

4.  I will focus being a better mom to my kids by implementing the Ways to Show Love found in this article by Rex A. Skidmore…ONE per month.  (January is Showing Affection Through Touch.)

(Faith’s not hard to Show Affection to Through Touch, in case you  were wondering)

It is going pretty well.  I’m pretty disciplined and focused when I decide on something.  #1 and #2 I’ve been practically perfect at, and it hasn’t even been that hard.  #3 is definitely the biggest challenge when I walk around with a mini-computer in my back pocket all day, but as a good friend (Hi Sally) said recently “That computer is my Delilah…it saps my strength.”  #4 has been pretty easy, once I got going.  I’ve found that as I touch and show affection, I actually FEEL more affection (something I was struggling with, in consequence with the depression.) 

I could talk about each of these for an entire post, and probably will at a later date, but I just wanted to get them down for posterity, accountability and out of gratitude to a Heavenly Father who is always to be found when I seek. (D&C 88:63)

Thanks for listening.